


A Fuchsia Love

by homo_patatje



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, WandaVision (TV)
Genre: Cottagecore, F/F, Lesbian, Novel, POV Lesbian Character, POV Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff Lives, Wholesome, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-25 10:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30087981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homo_patatje/pseuds/homo_patatje
Summary: In an alternative universe, early 1700's, if you will, Agatha and Wanda fight for their love in a time where witches are hunted. How did their love come to be and will their love survive?An early 1700's/cottagecore mini novel.You do not have to know any of the characters to understand the story!!
Relationships: Agatha Harkness & Wanda Maximoff, Agatha Harkness/Wanda Maximoff
Comments: 17
Kudos: 61





	1. Prologue

In a cozy village built on the banks of a steady-flowing river, a woman, no- a girl, swoops through the alleys, her arms tightly wrapped around a basket. As she reaches the market, her kind face lights up. She runs from stand to stand, filling her basket with herbs, flowers and wheats. Happily, she makes her way through the village, the purple fabric of her dress and cape billowing behind her.  
She follows the sandy paths to her home, just outside the village. It’s a tiny but cozy cottage built on the edge of the woods, snuggly surrounded by trees and a garden, which the girl looked after with great care. She gently shuts the door behind her.  
This girl, draped in violet, goes by Agatha. She was mysteriously orphaned some time ago, and has been living in this cottage, which she used to share with her mother, by herself. Nobody in the village really knows her, yet she seems to know everyone. She has everything she needs right there and then, right?

Over in the village, in a mansion built on a perfect formation of rocks on the river’s banks, a girl is locked up in this house. As the daughter of a nobleman- _the_ nobleman, who owns these lands, she is expected to be extremely well-mannered and feminine. She is, quite frankly, the exact opposite of what her father wishes her to be. One might say she is the embodiment of chaos itself. She speaks foul words and wreaks havoc with her twin brother. Because of these shenanigans, the nobleman rarely lets the twins go out into the village on their own. They usually sit in the messy garden, surrounded by walls so high, it almost feels like a prison.  
Not very long ago, however, the nobleman had promised his daughter that if she learned to be a dame, she would be allowed to go into the village on her own by her next birthday. It is because of this that she now speaks ever so politely and behaves with such manners, that one might believe another girl took her place.  
Look, the nobleman addresses his children during dinner. “My children”, he says, in an ever so boring voice, “since it is your birthday tomorrow, I will inform you about any changes in your privileges. Wanda, you have behaved extremely well these past months. Tomorrow you can go into the village by yourself. Pietro, you will join me hunting.”  
“Thank you, father.” the twins say in unison.  
After dinner they run to their chambers. The girl, named Wanda, lays out her clothing for the next day. A simple red dress with a corset in a darker shade of red. Red leather shoes. Her bordeaux cloak. If you weren’t able to tell, this girl loves red, for her hair is a gorgeous shade of darker red. Soon, this scarlet girl will have her first taste of freedom.  
Her twin brother, Pietro, can’t help but feel slightly jealous of his sister. He has yet to achieve the freedom she will receive tomorrow- his situation is more complicated. You see, neither of these twins are regular people. They’re special, different, peculiar, even… they have these powers no other human possesses. Pietro is extremely fast, almost like he can warp time, and Wanda reads minds and can control them. When the nobleman discovered his children were ‘creatures of the Devil himself’ he wanted to exile them, but the twins’ mother wouldn’t allow it. She taught the two to control their powers and hide them. When she passed, the nobleman vowed that nobody should ever see his children’s powers, so he refused to let them go out until they could properly hide their powers.  
Wanda doesn’t have much difficulty hiding hers. She never has. Pietro, however, simply prefers to do things fast and easy, so he’ll have to wait for his freedom. 

Tomorrow, all their lives will take a turn. Wanda will tell you all about it.


	2. The start of it all

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did Agatha and Wanda meet?

I awake with a start. Today is the day! I quickly jump out of bed and get dressed. When I come downstairs, my father and Pietro have already left. Oh well, at least they can’t lecture me about going to the village! I drape my cloak over my shoulders and head out. 

Outside, the morning sun is softly shining through a light mist. In the background I can hear the birds singing in the forest- the forest! I should go there after I’ve seen all of the village. The last time I went to the forest was way too long ago. I slowly walk through the narrow streets of the village, trying to take in as much as I can. The houses in the village are all built in the same style, all out of light wood with darker wooden roofs. I greet two women walking down the street, cheerfully chatting, when I reach an opening. It’s a cozy little square with a fountain in the middle. I turn while I walk to see everything. There're lovely flowers in most window stills, all in shades of red, pink and purple and buzzing with bees and butterflies. I had no idea the village was like this, so golden and blissful. I smile and turn to continue my walk, when I bump into someone. “Oh, sorry!” I yelp. The person I bumped into has dropped their basket, herbs and flowers are spread out over the pavement. “It’s alright, happens all the time!” she says, and she kneels down to pick up her belongings.

I kneel opposite of her and pick up some of the herbs and flowers she dropped. The girl wears dark purple clothing, which fits perfectly with her dark, curly hair. Kneeled down, I can see her face as well. Her eyes are a dark, stormy blue… the longer I look at them, it almost looks like they have a purple gleam to them. How peculiar… “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here before.” she says and she looks up at me. Her face practically radiates kindness. “uhhh… yeah,” I say, “I wasn’t really allowed to go into the village by myself before”. The girl laughs with such happiness I can nearly feel her radiating warmth. Actually, I do feel her warmth. Or some warmth, at least, taking over me on the inside. “Really?” she asks. “Have you ever been to the market? It’s just so great!” I sheepishly shake my head. She gasps. “We must go there at once!” We put the last of her flowers in her basket and get up. 

“I’m Agatha, by the way. I live just outside the village.” The girl, Agatha, says. “I’m Wanda.” I reply. “I live in the big house on the rocks.” “So you’re the nobleman’s daughter?” She asks, as she glances over at me. “Yeah.” I say. “It’s not all that great, you know.” “No, I can imagine. That’s probably the reason you’ve never been to the market, right?” “Yeah…” She laughs again. “You’ll be amazed, I promise!” 

Chatting, Agatha and I walk down the streets. There’s so much joy in her eyes, it almost makes me jealous. Even though I’ve known this woman for maybe an hour, it feels like I’ve known her all my life. There aren’t any of those awkward silences you usually have with new people. We talk about our lives and our favourite things, and how we both have this one color we associate with. I tell her purple fits her personality. She tells me my hair is gorgeous. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this happy with being around someone before- apart from my brother of course, we’re thick as thieves. 

After what felt like just a second, but what could’ve been hours, we arrive at the marketplace. It’s bustling with people, crowding around the little stands and happily chattering away. I stare at the scene in amazement- never have I seen something so happy yet peaceful. Agatha chuckles. “Impressing, isn’t it?” I nod. “Oh look! The miller is finally here!” Agatha takes my arm and pulls me over to a wooden cart with two oxen strapped in front of it. “Hello ladies,” the miller says, “what can I get you two today?” “One bag of flour, please.” Agatha replies. While the miller reaches into his cart to fetch her a bag, Agatha reaches into her cloak and pulls out a few golden coins. The miller hands me the bag of flour when Agatha hands him the money. We thank the miller and walk past the other stands, peering over the people to see what’s being sold. I see a man and his wife selling milk, cheese and meat, another couple selling fabrics, an old woman in the corner selling all kinds of seeds- it’s truly amazing. 

“Have you seen everything?” Agatha asks. “I think so.” I reply. “Do you wanna come to my house for a little while? We could bake some bread with the flour you have there.” Agatha nods at the bag of flour in my arms. “That sounds awesome.” I say and I smile. I can barely believe I’ve already made a friend!

Agatha leads me through the labyrinth of alleys, until we reach the end of the village. Suddenly, the woods are glooming in front of us. As we follow the sandy path to Agatha’s house, I listen to the birds singing, way louder than I’m used to, and I watch the sun break through the dense forest. We turn a corner and I see Agatha’s house at the edge of the forest. This scene is even more magical than the village- the cottage is made of dark wood and is surrounded by flowers and plants. I can see now why Agatha is so happy, this place is truly like heaven.   
Agatha opens the gate to her garden for me and I step through. I’m surrounded by endless fuchsia plants, in every color fuchsias come in- red, pink and purple, blue and white, pink and white… it’s absolutely stunning. “Do you like the fuchsias?” Agatha asks. “I’ve been growing them for years, they’re my pride and joy!” “They’re extraordinary.” I tell her, and we continue down the path. As we get closer to the house, the fuchsias slowly fade into all sorts of vegetables and fruits. There’s two big apple trees in a corner of the garden, full of fresh apples. I’m barely done looking around, when Agatha escorts me inside and immediately heads over to the fireplace to put on some water for tea. 

I absolutely adore her home, the walls are covered in bookshelves filled with jars and pots and, of course, books. I walk over to one of the shelves and pull out a thick book, bound in green leather. I open it and flip through the pages, filled with drawings of flowers and plants. The rest of the pages are filled with notes. I put back the book and walk around the room a bit while Agatha puts away the goods she bought earlier today. Even though the room is barely lit, I can see every object. It’s the absolute opposite of home; every inch of Agatha’s house is covered with interesting things, while at home everyone always has to be clean and tidy. It’s not messy here tho- it’s the house of a woman who loves herbs and plants. 

“Tea?” Agatha asks as she offers me a cup. “Thank you!” I say.   
After tea we get to making bread- something I’ve never done before. Agatha teaches me how it works, from the measurements to the rising to the baking. After a few hours of struggling for me and lots of laughing for Agatha, we sit in Agatha’s garden and watch the setting sun while we wait for the bread to bake. “I have to be home before dark,” I say reluctantly, “so I think I’d better be going soon.” Agatha sighs. “That makes sense, I’ll wrap up your bread for you, so you can take it home!” I smile at her as she gets up. I really don’t want to leave, but I would like to be allowed out more often, so being home on time is a must. I stand up and wait for her to come back outside. 

Not too long after she comes walking out with the bread in one hand, and my cloak draped over her other arm. “You forgot this inside.” She says with a smile and she nods at my cloak. “Oh, thank you!” I say. “I totally would’ve forgotten it!” Agatha chuckles, and hands me the bread. She then unfolds my cloak and drapes it over my shoulders. “There you go. I assume you can find your way back?” “I think so.” 

We stand in silence for a while, neither of us wanting to part ways. At last Agatha says “Would you be able to visit again tomorrow?” I look at her and see there’s some kind of… worry? on her face. “I- I think so!” I reply. Agatha smiles. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Promise you’ll visit?” I smile back at her. “I promise.” Agatha gives me a bigger smile, then turns around and starts walking back to her house. I look at her for a second, then turn around and walk towards the village. By the time I reach the village I can barely hide my happiness; I have a friend! A really cool one, too- the best of the best! I start running, and don’t stop till I reach the gates of the mansion. I’ll see you tomorrow, Agatha!


	3. Happily ever after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agatha and Wanda's love flourishes

I've somehow convinced my father to let me leave the house every other day. Nobody knows I spend all of my time away with Agatha. It's quite surprising, really, since I've been visiting Agatha for the last two months or so. I'm not sure what exactly my family thinks I do in the village all day, but I cannot care less. All I care about is Agatha. No, wait… visiting Agatha? All I care about is visiting Agatha. Forget it. I quickly make my way through the high halls of the mansion. I stop briefly at the kitchen to grab a basket of eggs for Agatha. She told me earlier that she rarely has enough money to buy them, so I figured I'd bring her some, for free. I continue to the front door and step outside. I don't bother putting on my cloak. It'll be warm enough anyways. I'm greeted by warm sunlight and a gentle cool breeze. I take a deep breath and head to the forest. 

When I approach Agatha's home, I see her sitting in her garden, reading a book. As I open the garden's gate to enter, Agatha looks up. "Hiya darling!" she says and she smiles at me. I love that smile. I smile back at her, and she gets up to greet me with a hug. As we break apart, I hold my basket out to her. "Here," I say, "I brought you some eggs!" Agatha gasps. "No way!" she says. I hand the basket to her and we head inside. Agatha immediately starts looking through her books, while muttering to herself: "what to make, what to make…" Then, she glances out of the window. "Oh! I know, we can bake an apple pie!" "That sounds heavenly" I tell her. Agatha yelps in excitement and starts running around the room, filling her arms with pots and jars she pulls down from her shelves. "There." she says, and she gently places the jars on the table. "Now, all we need is apples." 

So, we head outside and pick the best apples we can find. When we're content we head back inside and get to baking. Agatha tells me what to do, since I've obviously never made a pie before. So while I slice the apples, Agatha mixes the contents of the pots and jars in a big bowl, humming softly. She cracks the end in a bowl and quickly forms a dough. I let her assemble the pie, which she does with such skill, you'd think she does this all day.

After Agatha had gently placed the pie in the fire, we stand in silence for a while. I'm debating whether I should tell her about my powers- she deserves to know. My father told me to never tell any living soul, for they would most definitely burn me at the stake, so I had to approach this carefully. "So…" I say, "what do you think about witches?" Yikes. Should've thought that through. Agatha looks up at me. "Why do you ask?" she says, with a worried, almost scared, look on her face. I shrug."I don't know… I don't mix well with witch hunters, I suppose." Agatha's eyes narrow. "Follow me." she says and turns around. I follow her through a doorway covered with a piece of fabric. We enter what must be her bedroom. Agatha doesn't give me much time to look around. She heads straight for a tapestry on the wall and pulls it down, revealing a door, made of stones in all shapes and sizes. Agatha places her hand on a circular stone, and the door slowly creaks open. She glances at me to follow and steps inside.

I duck through the low entrance and suddenly I'm in a low, narrow hall, black vines with bright purple berries climb the walls and roof. Amazed, I make my way down the hall to a hexagonal room, where Agatha is waiting for me. I slowly turn, an attempt to take in as much as I can. The purple vines cover the walls, which are made out of some dark stone. Agatha waves her hand, and all around the room candles ignite. In the wall opposite of the door is a second heavy stone door. In the other for walls are inlets, all filled with books and jars. As I turn to Agatha, the door through which we entered, falls shut with a loud bang. The sudden noise makes me jump. Wait… Agatha waved her hand and all of the candles ignited. How did she do that? "What is this place?" I ask. "A safe place." Agatha answers. "safe from what?" "witch hunters." I look up at Agatha. She's looking at me, a stern look on her face, arms crossed. "So… you're a witch?" I say as I walk around the room, dragging my hand on the walls. Agatha nods. "Cool" I say. I reach the second stone door, and let my fingers trace the shapes of the stones. Then, suddenly, the door creaks and slowly opens. I gasp and jump back. I look at Agatha, whose face portrays surprise. "Are you a witch?" she asks. I shake my head. "Only witches can open these doors." Agatha continues. "You have to be a witch." "I'm not a witch" I say. "nobody ever taught me magic!" "You can be born with magic, you know." Agatha says. I frown. Are my powers magic? My brother and I always say it's just a weird mutation in our blood. "I might have some… magic?" I say. Agatha stays silent, waiting for me to continue. "I can read and control minds, and there's some sort of energy manipulation. We were forced to hide it tho, I have no idea what else I can do, really." "Hm…" Agatha looks at me. I can almost hear her thinking. Then she frowns. "We?" she asks. "Yeah." I say. "Me and my brother. He can run really fast, it's almost like he can warp time." Agatha sighs. "Witch or not, please promise not to tell anyone about this, alright?" "yeah, I promise. If you don't tell anyone about me and my brother." "Will do." Agatha says. Then, she smiles. "I didn't know there were other people with magic living so close!" I laugh. Neither did I. 

As we walk back up to Agatha's bedroom, I ask Agatha about her powers and what they can do. “Anything, really. Though I mainly use them for my garden and basic protection spells.” I had no idea that was something these powers could do. Her powers, at least. I still don’t know what mine can do exactly. 

Agatha takes the pie out of the fire and cuts it into slices. “Hey, how do you feel about having a picnic in the forest?” she asks. “I know a perfect place.” “That would be lovely.” I reply. When Agatha smiles, I swear I can see a light blush on her cheeks. We fill a basket with fruits from Agatha’s garden, some bread and cheese and, of course, the pie. Agatha retrieves a blanket from her closet and we’re on our way. 

We leave through the back of the garden, straight into the woods. After a little while we reach an opening. In the middle is a gorgeous blue-green lake, surrounded with fields of colourful flowers. We lay down the blanket near the lake and spread out the goods we brought. We chat about anything and everything. We pick some flowers, and Agatha braids some of them into my hair. “Look at you!” she squeals. “You’re so beautiful!” I blush. 

After a few hours at the lake, we sit side by side, watching the sun slowly disappear behind the trees. Agatha sighs, and lays her head on my shoulder. I smile. I wish I could stay here forever, with Agatha. I think about the love I feel for her. It’s deep, like my love for my brother, but it’s not quite the same. My brother is my brother- we have a strong bond and really care for eachother, but I wouldn’t want to spend every last minute with him. I would like to spend every minute with Agatha, tho, whatever that should mean. I wrap my arm around Agatha’s shoulders and rest my head atop of hers. We stay like this for a while, until Agatha gets up to put on her cloak, for the temperatures are dropping now that the sun is nearly gone. Agatha looks at me for a second, then asks “Can I do something crazy?” “Always!” I say. She kneels in front of me and takes my face in her hands. Then, she kisses me. We pull apart, and Agatha studies my face, looking for some emotion. I laugh and pull her face back to mine.

When the sun has completely disappeared, we gather our stuff and head back to Agatha’s home. We kiss goodbye, and Agatha hands me the leftover pie. “For your brother, I think he’ll love it.” I thank her, and follow the edge of the forest back home. 

Just when I’m about to enter my room, Pietro jumps out, scaring me shitless. “Hey sis! Where have you been?” he muses, with such a wide smile on his face, I almost think he knows about Agatha and I. “The village.” I say. “Here, I brought you this.” I give him the wrapped up piece of pie. He unwraps it a bit and his face lights up. He thanks me, gives me a tight hug and leaves for his room. If only he knew…

Some time later, about three weeks after our first picnic, I’ve once again spent the day at Agatha’s. I’m just about to return home, but Agatha insists on walking me. We kiss goodbye by the back gate and Agatha returns home. I watch her walk away for a bit, then enter the garden and make my way to my room. 

When I enter my room, Pietro jumps out and scares me, again. He does this way too often. “Hey,” he says, while he closes the door behind him, “who were you saying goodbye to just now?” “What?” I ask. “Oh come on. The girl in the purple cloak! Who is she? You two looked really friendly.” “You saw us??” “Yeah. I was sitting on the roof. Perfect view from up there.” I curse. “Were you the only one who saw?” I ask him. “I’m fairly sure. Everyone else is busy in the kitchen for dinner.” I sigh in relief and sit down. Pietro sits down next to me. “So… are you gonna tell me about the girl?” I look at him. He’s genuinely interested, so I smile and tell him everything: how we met, how I visit her every other day, how she’s like us. Pietro is loving every second of it. I can’t blame him, we barely meet new people. Well, interesting new people, that is. “You have to introduce her to me!” he says. “Please?” I chuckle. “I’ll ask her. I think she’d like to meet you too!”


	4. Or so we thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda and Agatha are happily living their lives- when something threatens to come in between them and their happiness.

Agatha got really excited when I asked her if she wanted to meet Pietro, so next time I was allowed outside, I would sneak him out with me. That day is today. You’d think sneaking out of a mansion built like a prison for two magical children would be a pain in the neck, but it’s actually surprisingly easy. I simply strut out the front door, and Pietro dashes out at the same time. Easy enough, no one notices. I meet him at the edge of the forest, and together we continue to Agatha’s house. 

When we reach the house, I can tell Pietro has the same reaction as I had when I visited for the first time. I can read his mind of course. I can’t read Agatha’s, but I don’t mind. Sometimes knowing everything about someone gets boring, you know. Pietro knocks on Agatha’s door. We hear some stumbling inside, and the door flies open. Agatha’s face appears in the doorway, smiling that gorgeous never-leaving smile of hers. “You must be Pietro.” she says, as she holds her hand out for him to shake. “I’ve heard so much about you!” ‘Embarrassing, sis.’ Pietro thinks as he shakes her hand. I punch him on his arm softly as Agatha gestures for us to enter. She makes us tea, and she and Pietro chat the day away. They’re getting along way better than I expected. It’s like they’ve known each other all their lives- this doesn’t surprise me all too much, I felt the same way when Agatha and I first met. 

When the sun starts to set, Pietro and I get ready to return home. “Do come again!” Agatha shouts at Pietro as he dashes away. I laugh. He just had to show her his super speed. Agatha chuckles and turns to me. “You’re carbon copies of each other.” she says. “I’ve never met two people so similar.” I shrug. “We’re together a lot.” I say. I mean, if you can read your brother’s mind and he tries very hard to protect you, combined with being locked up together for the first nineteen years of your lives, you start copying mannerisms. “It’s just adorable.” Agatha says and she smiles at me. I smile back at her and pull her in for a kiss. Neither of us really wants to let go, but I have to be home before dark. Reluctantly, I give Agatha one last kiss and head to the mansion. I’m not sure why, but there’s a feeling of dread tingling in the back of my head. Something’s going to happen. I don’t know what, but it can’t be much good. 

In the evening we roam the halls looking for something to do. We pass the dining room, where our father is discussing something with the village elders and someone important from another city. The doors are slightly open, so we stand in the opening, looking at the old men. They all sit in silence, a very stern look on their faces. Then, one of them speaks up. “The reason I have summoned you today is a serious one; I believe there are witches living under us.” The old men mutter in agreement. Next to me, I feel Pietro freeze. We wait for the conversation to continue. “We have to hunt these women! We are not safe around their magic. Who knows what they can do? I say we arrest those whom we suspect and burn them at the stake!” The men all nod in agreement. “I know of one- living near the edge of the forest. Lore says she killed her own mother for power.” The men shake their heads in disagreement. “All we need to keep our people safe is your permission, nobleman.” I look over at the far end of the table, where our father is seated. His eyebrows are knitted in thought, his hands folded under his chin. Finally, he sighs. “You have my permission. Hunt down every magical being you can find.” I gasp. Our father looks up and sees us standing in the doorway. “Wanda-” he starts to tell me something, but Pietro grabs my arm. “Let’s go.” He says, and he runs. “Pietro! Come back here!” our father tries to call us back, but neither of us feels like staying around people who would burn us at the stake when given the chance.

Pietro brings me just outside the mansion’s walled garden. “We have to warn Agatha.” He says. “They mentioned her. She has to flee!” I nod, and Pietro dashes us to Agatha’s cottage. We knock on her door and impatiently wait for her to answer. The door creaks open a bit, and then flies wide open. “Wanda? Pietro? What are you doing here?” She asks. In her left hand she’s holding a dagger. She doesn’t expect visits late at night, so this must’ve been scary for her. I push her back into the room and Pietro shuts the door. “They’re going to hunt witches,” Pietro says, “and you’re the first on their list.” Agatha gasps and looks at me. I guess the look of worry on my face says enough. “O- okay, uhm…” Agatha stammers, clearly shocked by our sudden visit and this statement. “You have to get out of here.” Pietro says. He seems to be the only one who isn’t too shocked to think straight. Agatha gathers her thoughts and sighs. “I figured they’d come for me. I can leave through the tunnels when they come to arrest me. I’ll just have to go to the market tomorrow morning to get some food, and I’ll survive.” Pietro nods. “Sounds like a plan.” “We can’t stay here either” I say as I look at Pietro. “You’re right… our own father wants us dead.” he replies. “Come with me,” Agatha says, “The tunnels will lead us to safety. They won’t be able to follow us.” Pietro nods. “Alright. So we’ll meet you here around midday tomorrow?” I ask. “Deal. Now go, I have to prepare.” Agatha pecks me on the cheek and starts rummaging through her shelves, selecting what’s worth taking. Pietro grabs me and runs us home. We manage to make it to his room just before our father comes knocking on the door. “We don’t want to talk!” I shout. Our father sighs. “I promise you, I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe!” he tells us through the door. I look at Pietro, who rolls his eyes. “Whatever.” he thinks. “We’ll be gone tomorrow.” We don’t reply, and spend the night in Pietro’s room, plotting our escape and gathering our most prized possessions, which, to our advantage, isn’t much. 

The next day we sneak out just after lunch. We arrive at Agatha’s shortly, only to find the place abandoned. There’s no sign of a fight whatsoever, it looks like someone left to come back any second. The shelves and garden have been emptied, but there’s no sign of the contents anywhere in the room. “This can’t be good.” Pietro says. “Yeah… Agatha would’ve been here, waiting for us.” I say. “Let’s wait a little while, maybe she’ll come home soon.” 

After anxiously waiting for about half an hour, we decide Agatha won’t be coming anytime soon, so we decide to go look for her. “She said she had to get some stuff from the market, so let’s start in the village.” I say. Pietro agrees. We scan every street and alley for a sign of Agatha. When we reach the central square, we haven’t found anything yet. Just as we're about to leave for the market, a priest rolls out a scroll of paper and starts announcing news to the people on the square. “The nobleman has agreed to witch hunts!” he says, with an annoying, nasal voice. “You no longer have to fear for your safety! We have already caught the witch who has been living in our midst! She goes by the name of Agatha Harkness, and she will be burned at the stake tomorrow on this very square!” Pietro looks at me in horror. The people around us are excitedly muttering amongst each other. “What has Agatha ever done to threaten the safety of these people?” Pietro whispers. I shake my head. “Maybe buy the last of their herbs, but other than that she wouldn’t hurt a soul.” Pietro nods. “Do you know where the prison is?” He asks. Just when I’m about to tell him that I have no idea, our father suddenly appears in front of us. “There you are!” he says. “It’s time to go home.” Pietro and I look at each other. We’re lost. Our father caught us sneaking out. Neither of us know what to do, so we smile and nod, acting like we were just on a walk. 

Back home, our father tells us to stay inside, for our own safety. We agree and spend the rest of the day in my room, unhappily walking circles. I can’t believe they arrested her. I hope she’s okay… “She’ll be fine,” Pietro says, as if he can read my mind. “She’s very strong. And there’s no way we’re gonna let them kill her.” I choke back my tears and nod. We have to save Agatha.


	5. My lady in peril

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda and Pietro rush to save Agatha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry for the long wait- the next few chapters will be up sooner! hopefully by tomorrow, otherwise by Wednesday

The next morning, our father wakes us. “Hurry up and get dressed. We’re going somewhere.” Pietro and I anxiously glance at each other. Why does he take up somewhere today? There’s no time to mess around- there’s more important things to do. Like making sure my girlfriend doesn’t get burned at the stake. 

We quickly get dressed and head down for breakfast. It’s awkwardly silent. Pietro is nervously tapping his foot. Then, right as we’re about to finish, our father speaks up. “We’re going to attend the burning on the central square.” he announces. Pietro flashes me a panicked look. “I know you won’t like it, but you have to give the impression to the people that you’re with them.” We? We have to give the impression to people we’ve never seen that we love seeing innocent people killed. The more I think about the whole situation, the more annoyed I get. Neither Pietro or I really know what to say, so I nod slowly, trying to process it all. “Alright. We leave in ten minutes.” father says, and he leaves the room. I look at Pietro. As we lock eyes I realise we have the same idea: attending the trial with father would get us as close to Agatha as we can, so we quickly finish our breakfast and join our father on his way to the square. 

At the square, we’re led to a low stage for the higher-class people to stand on. In the middle of the square a quick stake was built overnight, on top of a wooden stage which they'll ignite later. A crowd of people surrounds the stage, impatiently waiting for the spectacle to begin. While we wait, I become awfully aware of my surroundings. I feel the sun burning my shoulders and face. The cool wind whipping through my hair and dress, making it bellow. The eyes of the people behind me focused on me. Pietro standing next to me with tensed muscles. The archers placed atop of the roofs, bows ready to shoot Agatha if she escapes. All of it seems unnatural, out of place. A lot of people in one space never helps. I hear everything the crowd thinks, and it’s stressing me out. Why would our father bring us here, when he knows I can’t handle big crowds? It’s almost as if he wants me to freak and blow our cover. I don’t have time to completely freak, tho. The crowd becomes silent and I look at the stage. 

As the same priest from yesterday steps up, Pietro grabs my hand. The priest launches into a speech about loyalty to god. Then, when he’s content with his blabbering, he clears his throat and announces: “The witch has arrived!” Two guards roughly force Agatha on the stage. She stumbles, but manages to catch herself. Desperately, I try to catch a glimpse of her face. She’s looking down in an attempt to keep her dignity. Her messy dark hair surrounds her face, so I can just see her nose and lips. The guards drag Agatha to the stake. The priest continues. “These witches look like any one of us! They are in our midst, so look out! She can be your neighbor! Your sister! We must be wary!” I feel my anger trying to take over me. Pietro senses this, and squeezes my hand, grounding me a bit. I look back to the stage. They aggressively tie Agatha to the stake, jerking her head back so the crowd can see her face. Breathing heavily, her eyes search the crowd, tears streaming down her face. Finally, she looks in my direction and we lock eyes for a second. The fear in her eyes makes me furious. “Why would you treat an eighteen-year-old like that?” I whisper. My father gives me an angry look. I give him an angry look back. Why would he force us to watch this? I look back at Agatha. Her desperate eyes are still locked on me. I hold her gaze for as long as I can. The priest lists Agatha’s ‘crimes’ (half of which are made up. The other half are barely crimes): “Agatha Harkness- found guilty of witchcraft, mathematics, theft, adultery, homosexuality and murder! That’s right, this witch murdered her own mother, for power!” The crowd gasps. Agatha's look of fear turns into sheer panic. Her eyes nervously dart through the angry crowd. She tries to escape, but the shackles are way too tight. She yelps in pain as the guards strap her shoulders to the stake. Her head drops. I hate having to watch her like this. I really wish I knew my powers better, I’m sure I could use them to save her without damaging anyone’s reputation. All I can hear are Agatha’s desperate sobs as she tries to loosen the shackles with her magic. 

The priest then asks for objections. I’m really tempted to shout, object!, blast open the shackles and run away with her. But I don’t want to mess up even more or get her killed. The archers would get us before we could reach the narrow streets. So I stay silent and watch the guards light the stake on fire. The crowd cheers. Sick bastards. Agatha once again tries to fight herself free, but it isn’t working. The flames are slowly approaching her feet. She desperately tries to avoid them, but she’s tied down too tightly to move away. “We need a distraction.” I hear Pietro think. I glance at him. “Cause a scene. I’ll get her.” he glances back at me. Agatha screams in pain. I allow my fury to take over me, and I send a blast of red magic in the direction of the stake. It hits the fire, slowing it down just enough so Pietro won’t get burned when he gets Agatha. “We’ll wait for you at Agatha’s house” he thinks, and he dashes away. The people on the square are screaming and gasping in surprise at the scene going on in front of them. My red light dances around the flames, forcing them away from the stake. As people start looking around for the witch guilty of these scarlet crimes, I start breathing obnoxiously heavy and let myself fall to the ground. Fake fainting. The oldest trick in the book. “Wanda?!” My father and most of the people near us bend over me in concern. Father didn’t even notice Pietro leaving. Then, a blue flash and Agatha is gone. I quickly sit up and just see Pietro swiftly dodging through the crowd, into the alleys.. Nobody seemed to have noticed it was him. I look at my father. A look of realisation spreads on his face. He sighs. “I cannot believe you two,” he whispers. “This corset’s too tight” I tell him. He gives me a disappointed look. “We’re going home. Now.” 

When we return home, my father asks me to join him for lunch, which I agree to for some godforsaken reason. We don’t speak about the incident at the town square, I eat in silence. A weird feeling settles in my stomach. I look up at my father. He’s just watching me eat… how peculiar. I stare at him for a second and continue eating. When I’ve almost finished my plate, a feeling of tiredness washes over me. I look up at my father again. There’s an evil look of content on his face. I realise he must’ve put something in my food. Narcotics… poison? “What did you put in here?” I ask him. He doesn’t answer. I grab the table and get up. I have to get away from him, and fast. I step away from the table, but my legs buckle and I fall to my knees. Then, my vision goes dark.


End file.
